Uber Partner Avride Faces NHTSA Probe After 16 Robotaxi Crashes In Texas

• Avride ADS-equipped fully electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxis have been providing public passenger rides on the Uber ride-hailing platform in Dallas.
• Earlier this week, Uber said it has more than 30 autonomous vehicle partners to deliver goods and transport customers.  
• CEO Dara Khosrowshahi further explicitly called autonomous vehicles (AVs) a $1 trillion opportunity.

U.S. auto safety regulatory National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a probe into Uber Technologies’ (UBER) robotaxi partner Avride Inc. following 16 reported crashes involving its vehicles in Dallas and Austin, Texas.

NHTSA opened the probe to examine potential defects related to “conflict avoidance, driving behavior competence and assertiveness” in Avride’s automated driving system. The crashes occurred while an in-vehicle safety operator was present and monitoring the system.

The cars with Avride’s systems improperly changed lanes into moving traffic, did not brake for slow-moving or stopped vehicles, and struck stationary objects partially blocking the roadway, the regulator said.

One alleged minor injury was reported, though there were no fatalities or fires. All incidents resulted in property damage and took place while the ADS was fully engaged, the regulator said.

NHTSA said it will assess technical and operational factors, existing safeguards, and any mitigating actions taken by Avride as part of the probe.

UBER shares closed 2% lower on Friday. 

Uber- Avride Partnership

Avride ADS-equipped fully electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxis have been providing public passenger rides on the Uber ride-hailing platform in Dallas since December 2025. The service, initially launched in a nine-square-mile area covering Downtown, Uptown, Turtle Creek, and Deep Ellum, allows Uber riders to be matched with the autonomous vehicles at standard fares.

The partnership between Avride and Uber, which began with autonomous delivery robots in 2024 and expanded to robotaxis, represents one of Uber’s early commercial deployments of third-party AV technology in the United States.

Uber Bullish On Robotaxi Partnerships

Uber relies on partnerships to deploy robotaxis on its ride-sharing platform, instead of developing the technology itself. Earlier this week, Uber said it has more than 30 autonomous vehicle partners to deliver goods and transport customers.  

Uber is now live with autonomous rides in eight cities and remains on track to expand to as many as 15 cities by the end of 2026. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi further explicitly called autonomous vehicles (AVs) a $1 trillion opportunity.

“So we continue to believe AVs are huge opportunities for the entire industry. This is, we think, another $1 trillion TAM,” he said.

How Did UBER Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around UBER stayed within the ‘extremely bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume remained at ‘extremely high’ levels.

UBER stock has fallen by about 8% over the past 12 months. 

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